So what’s in the Town of Chesterton’s sanitary sewer collection system?

We already know that in Porter sewer workers are pulling oddities nearly
every day from six or more lift stations: things which ought never be
flushed down toilets--like diapers and floor mops, grease, and syringes--not
only because they clog the system but because they represent health hazards
to collection workers.

At the Chesterton Utility Service Board’s meeting Monday, collection work
Jay Ihler did report finding “strange things” from time to time: a lawn
mower engine, duck decoys.

“But no syringes,” he said.

Workers do wear safety gear when working in the sewers and on the lift
stations, Ihler added: leather gloves when appropriate or rubber gloves

“I’m glad to hear our system is syringe-free,” Member Scot McCord said.

Ongoing Maintenance

In other business, Superintendent Terry Atherton reported on ongoing
collection system maintenance: crews have recently cleaned wet wells at the
Villages of Sand Creek, Jewel/Osco, Michael Drive, and Barrington Bridge
lift stations, cleaned the lines in the Duneland Cove subdivision, and
jetted lines in the Villages of Creek and along South Calumet Road from
1100N to the Barrington Bridge Apartments, the latter including the South
Point subdivision.

2014 Budget

Meanwhile, members voted 3-0 to approve the Utility’s 2014 budget. Members
Jim Raffin and John Schnadenberg were not in attendance.

That budget projects revenues in 2014 of $3,749,000; debit service of
$1,242,457; revenue for operating and capital of $2,506,543; expenses of
$2,338,499; and a surplus at year’s end of $168,044.

September in Review

Chesterton used 37.91 percent of its 3,668,000 gallon per day (gpd)
allotment at the wastewater treatment plant; Porter, 43.10 percent of its
851,000 gpd allotment; the Indian Boundary Conservancy District, 41.59
percent of its 81,000 gpd allotment; and the plant as a whole, 39.15 percent
of its capacity.